anodyne

chapter 7

doyoung wakes up the other day, feeling weak, his health worsened. he finds an empty space next to him, void of the living source of heat and affection, he is all alone in the room. only the rays of the sunshine greet him that morning. jihoon must have gone to the company again. why was he so needed? why couldn't the matter wait until doyoung knows and so he wakes up and doesn't worry about his boyfriend? his heart was so filled with love yesterday after receiving night cuddles but everything is gone now.

everything is gone once jihoon is gone.

he shifts his position, getting acute pain in the back of his head. he hisses and shuts his eyes. once he opens them again after the abrupt unpleasantness is over, his view is blurred and he feels dizzy. he decides to stay in bed for a little longer. 

doyoung has been sleeping for another two hours. someone, at last, had to check up on him. and it was no one else but mashiho, who upon seeing that the only one eating his breakfast was jeongwoo, couldn't get rid of the feeling that something worrisome had happened.

that morning he encountered jihoon in the kitchen. very early that morning to be detailed, it was several minutes after 5 am. mashiho was there only to drink a glass of water because he got thirsty nevertheless the other was already dressed in a full garment, eating instant noodles made probably out of rush.

"this week it's going to be only me and sungchan." he explained right after seeing question marks in mashiho's eyes."they have to change the script almost utterly. and guess who has to witness it."

drowsy mashiho, with his hair disheveled in every way possible, his eyes fighting hard not to close again, and dressed in bed socks which always make him sleepy, pointed lightly towards the older.

"yeah." jihoon growled, lifting his fist a little above his head as if intending to hit the table underneath.

luckily he managed to soothe his emotions. his expression changed within seconds. mashiho despite his lack of energy noticed how current jihoon differed from jihoon from merely five seconds ago. the wrinkles in between his brows disappeared, his skin back to flawless. his pursed lips bloomed again and even curved in a sheepish smile as if he had just scolded himself for feeling the unreasonable anger, his gritted teeth let go, and lastly, his knuckles weren't white anymore cause he spread his palm on the table, stroking it. mashiho couldn't say if it all wasn't his dream. was his jihoon hyung apologizing to the table?

"I hope no one has woken up because of me."

mashiho took the last sip from the glass, bid a farewell to the other, and was just about to leave the kitchen and go back to sleep, when jihoon's head popped in one last time to add swiftly.

"could you check if doyoung is still asleep? please make sure he doesn't get up this early! and take care of him if he needs anything! thank you shiho!" and then jihoon dissolved into the air.

no more sign of him till now. mashiho hasn't done what he had been asked for yet. he had checked on the younger before heading back to sleep, and after closely making sure that the younger hasn't woken up, nothing weighed upon his consciousness. however now he was going to doyoung's or doyoung and jihoon's room to "take care of him if he needs anything". the second part of jihoon's request was about to be fulfilled.

he enters the respective room, approaches the bed, and sits down on it. he slightly nudges the younger one, the reaction appears soon after. doyoung grumbles and twitches his face, as if dreading the sunlight coming from the windows. at this moment mashiho spies something concerning. the beads of sweat on doyoung's forehead, the tips of doyoung's bang are wet, and his skin is unnaturally white. he swiftly put one of his palms on the other's forehead and the other one on his. there is no doubt now.

doyoung got sick.

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